Tail gate elevator



Oct. 23, 1934. L s. TROELL 1,977,655

v TAIL GATE ELEVATOR I Filed July 24, 195s s sheets-sheet 2 lNVEN OR AT RNEY OCU 23, 1934- l.. s. TRoELL 1,977,655

TAIL GATE ELEVATOR Filed .July 24, 195s :s sheets-sheet s e 16 gigi Patented Oct. 23, 1934 UNITED vs'rii'riazs PATENT. OFFICE un. GATE ELEvA'ron Lewis s. Trn, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application July 24. 193s, serial Nn. 682,002

1o claims. (cl. 214-75) This invention relates to apparatus of the char' acter covered in 'Iroell Patent 1,919,608 of July 25, 1933, and the objectsof the present invention are to improve devices of this nature, particularly in the following respects; to enable operation of the elevator for packing objects in tiers or layers in the truck and utilizing the tail gate to hold and protect the two or more tiers; to enable the handling of larger articles than could ordinarily be accommodated on a normal size tail gate; to counterbalance the tail gate which in a device of this character may be a`relative1y massive and heavy piece; to simplify and make better in operation and appearance the locks for securing the elevator structure andother parts, such as the supports for the tail gate, etc.

Other desirable objects and the novelfeatures of construction, combinations and relations of parts by which such objects are attained are hereinafter described, illustrated and broadly covered in the claims. The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrate certain preferred embodiments of the invention, it being understood that the actual structure may be modiiied and changed to meet various requirements within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Fig. 1 in the drawings is a broken side elevationof a form of the elevator tail gate as ap? plied to a truck body, broken lines indicating different positions of the tail gate.

Fig. 2 is a broken part sectional rear'elevation showing the supporting jack turned downward into active relation.

Fig. 3 is a broken enlarged detail of the lower portion of one of the elevator rams.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view as on line 3-.3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a broken side elevation showing a modified form of the invention, in which the elevator structure is extended inward as a movable part of the floor of the truck.

Fig. 6 is a broken and part sectional side elevation similar to Fig. 1, illustrating di'erent positions in this form of the d evice.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view as on line 7--7 of Fig. 6, showing the tail gate and floor extension of the same in plan.

Figs. 8 and 9 are broken plan and edge views respectively of the tail gate counterbalancing means.'

The forms of the invention herein illustrated are like the patent structure above identied, in consisting of rectangular cross-section sliding rams or shoes 10, operating in the boxes or guides made up of the angularly bent U-shaped housings 11, securedover the ends of the truck sides 12, these rams being connected at their lower ends by a stay rod 13, on which the tail gate 14,l is pivotally hung at 15.

Also, as in the basic patent, a cable or cables 16, connected with suitable hoisting mechanism areused, being led upward over sheaves 17, at the lower ends of the guides and downward over sheaves 18, in the tops of the guides to the hinge or stay rod 13. In the presentl case however, the cables are shown as dead-ended to this rod as at 19, instead of operating over pulleys thereon as in the patent. l

Another feature of distinction is that the upper pulley sheaves have their journals 20, set back or inward from the rams as shown in Fig. 1, so that the rams may ride up past such pulleys, which then extend partly through slots 21 in the 75 near sides of the rams.

The rams are made long enough to slideA freely when heavily loaded and hence when fully raised y may have to extend through' openings 22, provided in the top of the truck. Such openings go may be closed normally as by self-closing hinge iiaps 23, or the like. l

Thebroken lines in Fig. 1 illustrate the full extent of travel of the tail gate, it being noted that the same may be lowered to ground or side'- walk level to receive an object and then be run up to the floor level of the truck as in full lines, or be further elevated to carryobjects thereon into the plane of a top tier within the truck. The slots 24 in the inner sides of the guide boxes for 90 the anchorage pins 25, for the' tail gate chains 26 are shown as extended high enough to permit this extended movement. The tail gate may be closed and lifted to an intermediate position, where it will eiectively protect and close in both upper and lower tiers.

The rams are spaced in the illustration by a spacing sleeve 27, surrounding. the stay rod, and nuts are indicated at 28, turned up on the outer threaded ends of the rod within the hollow box structure of the rams. To prevent accidental loosening of these nuts, keys 29 are shown as extending therethrough and through the rod, said keys in turn being held against dislodgment by being located Within confining slots 30, Fig. 3, in the aligned sides of the rams.

For handling more bulky articles taking up greater oor space, the construction such as shown in Figs. 5 to 9, may be employed, the same comprising in addition to the actual tail gate, an

loof

- gate bolt in similar manner hinged, the same may be extension 31, projecting into a similarly shaped cutout portion 32, in the back of the truck floor. This forwardly projecting tailgate extension is indicated as having hinge. eyes or hinge leaves 33, engaged over the spacing sleeve of the tail tothe tail gatefbut ordinarily need be simply secured in the horizontal relation by angularly extending braces 34, connected with the chain anchor pins 25.

As will be quite apparent from Figs. 5, 6 and 7, this two piece form of tail gate enables the handling of larger base objects than would be possible with a one piece tail gate of practical size.

In the larger capacity tail gate elevators, the tail gate itself becomes quite massive and heavy and the closing of the same requires considerable strength.

In the modiiled construction described, the weight of the tail gate isco'unterbalanced to an extent by a spring 35, concealed in the hollow as this extension does not rear portion of the tail gate,Fig. '1, and conshows how the tail gate .ture into the iiooring of nected at its ends with cables 36, running around pulleys 3'7, in the corners of the structure to points of connection at 38, with the tail gate supporting chains 26. The lower ends of the chains are shown connected with swivel eyes 39, which will turn to line the eyes with the chains and the inwardly or upwardly facing side edges of the tail gate are shown as recessed at 40, to receive and house the links of chain pulled slack by the spring stressed cables, Fig. 5. This latter view in the folded or closed relation completely covers the supporting chains and cables and it will be clear from this View, in conjunction with Fig.- 6, that as the gate is lowered,vthe pull will come on the cables and -be communicated to the spring which, yielding will store up a counterbalancing force for aiding in the lifting and closing of the tail gate.

To allow for extension of the elevator structhe truck as in Fig. 7, the sills of the truck frame may .be spread or bottle-necked as indicated at 41. This permits the gate extension to ride up and down through the end portion of the truck frame and with such construction, the hoisting cables are carried forward a distance from the lowering sheaves 17 to sheaves 42, and then angled inward through guides 43 to pulleys 44, from whence they are led to the hoist mechanism.

To guard against accidental lifting as well as lowering of the elevator structure, special latches or locking dogs may be provided, such as indicated at 45, Fig. 6, having recesses 46, angled to hold against movement in both directions and receiving correspondingly angled ,lugs 4'1, on the lower ends of the rams. shown as carried by a transverse shaft 48, journalled in the guides forwardly of the rams and provided at one or both ends with a suitable operating handle or handles 49.

At times, and particularly in handling the heavier loads, it becomes desirable to level the truck body more or less and to xedly anchor and support it while' the elevator is in use1 To 'provide for this, screw jacks such as indicated at 50, may be attached to lower ends of Velevator guides, the same being shown in the illustration as pivoted thereto at 51, so that they may be swung upward into supported relation with the eyes 52, at the lower ends of the same caught over sustaining hooks 53, inside the guides, or be swung down into operative relation with the pavement.

These locking' dogs areA What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a truck, a tail gate and elevator mechanism connected with said tail gate for lowering the same to positions beneath the truck floor and to positions in line with and above the truck floor for single or double tiering, means for locking the tail gate in the position of align- Ament with the floor against movement in either a raising or lowering direction, said means including a releasable dog with an angular recess and a correspondingly angled lug engageable therewith, the latter being on a ram operating with the tail gate and the dog being mounted on stationary guide structure for said ram.

2. A tail gate elevator'comprising rams, a stay rod connecting the same .in spaced relation, a tail gate hinged on said rod, securing means for said rod engaged on the end portions of the same Within the rams, fastening keys for said securing means extending through said securing means and projecting therefrom, said rams having recesses receiving and holding the projecting portions of said securing means.

3. In combination with a truck body having openings in the roof of the same, guides at the sides of said truck body beneath said openings, rams operating in said guides and up through said roof openings, a tail gate structure carried by said rams, elevator structure for raising and lowering said rams either within the confines of the truck body or for extending the same up through said roof openings and closures hinged on the roof of the truck body and positioned for automatically vopening to passage of the rams and adapted to close the roof openings as the rams lower therethrough.

4. In combination, a truck body and a tail gate therefor, guides at the ends of the sides of the' truck body, rams operating in said guides, a stay rod connecting said guides and supportably connected with said tail gate, the end of the truck body floor being cut away and an extension from the tail gate structure also mounted on` said stay rod'and projecting into said iloor opening to close the same when the tail gate is levelled with the floor.

5. In combination, a truck body having elevator guides at the ends of the same, rams operating in lsaid guides, a rod connecting the lower portions-of said rams, a tail gate hinged on said rod and a tail gatev extension supported on said rod and projecting forwardly from the tail gate into the body of the truck, the flooring at the end of the truck being cut out to receive said extension as a part of the actual floor when the tail gate elevator is levelled with the floor structure and means for definitely positioning and securing said rams with the hinged tail gate and forwardly projecting tail gate extension levelled with the floor structure of the truck body.

6. In combination, a truck body having elevator guides at the ends of the same, rams operating in said guides, a rod connecting the lower portions of said rams, a tail gate hinged on said rod and a tail gate extension supported on said rod and projecting forwardly from the tail gate into the body of the truck, the flooring at the end of the truck being cut-out toreceive said extension as a part of the actual floor when the tail gate elevator is levelled with the floor structure, the truck having a frame which is widened at the rear to accommodate said oor forming extension frame.

nected with intermediate balancing spring housed therein, cables connected with said coimterbalancing spring, supporting chains for the tail gates, said cailes being conportions ct said supportingchainsandsaidtailgatehavingrecesses therein for receiving and housing exposed portions ot the cables and supporting chains.

9. In combination, a hingedvtail gate, means the lowered position.

iorsupportingthesamein a tail gate weight counterbalancing spring housed extending transverse within and ly in the back portion ci' the tail gate. pulleys at the rearward corners ci' the tailgate and cables extending from said spring about said pulleys'and anchored at their-ends tctherebyappl'y-energystoredinthe 3 spring to the lifting of the tail gate, the lowering ot the tailgate serving to store said energy and the supporting means taking the weight ci! said counterbalancin'g spring connections as the tail gate reaches the desired lowered position. v

10. In combination, a truck body having elevator guides at the end 'of the same, hoisting pulleys journalled in the upper ends of said guides, hollow rams operating in said guides vand having slots in the sides at the upper ends of the same receiving said pulleys when the rams are elevated in the guides, a stay rod connecting the flower ends of the rams and having end portions extend- A lng into said hollow rams, hoisting cables extending from said pulleys downward through the hollow rams and connected with said end portions of the stay rods,sad cables being aligned with y said slots in the upper ends of the hollow rams to enable said rams to be extended up past the pulleys and a tail gate structure supported by the stay rod between the rams. I

LEWIS S. TROELL. 

